Design&Construction of Sustainable Schools Volume 01 Lessons From School Buildings In Norway And Germany
Introduction
Preface 1/2 Norway Green for go! Amber for consider Red for no! 7/10 Norwegian Schools 3/4
German Schools 5/6 Germany Green for go! Amber for consider Red for no! 11/14
Case Studies
01 Kjeldås Primary School 15/18 09 Hechinger Eck Primary School 47/50
02 Oserød Primary School 19/22 10 Loretto Nursery 51/54
03 Oddemarka Primary School 23/26 11 Pliezhausen Nursery 55/58
04 Kvadraturen High School 27/30 12 Steiner School at Kirchheim Teck 59/62
05 Eilert Sundt Secondary School 31/34 13 Schäfersfeld Grammar School 63/66
06 Vanse Primary School 35/38 14 Pfennigäcker Nursery 67/70
07 Borhaug Nursery School 39/42 15 Further Education College in Herne 71/74
08 Borhaug Senior School 43/46 16 Comprehensive School in Gelsenkirchen 75/78
Credits 79
Preface
This publication is part of a series of work sponsored by the This publication has grown from a project that started in May Scottish Executive to encourage the design and construction 2003 when the Gaia Group undertook a study tour of schools of sustainable schools in Scotland. It follows on from designed by it’s Norwegian colleagues plus some sustainable previous guidance on School Design (2003) and Sustainability schools by others. The tour party comprised Gaia staff, a (2004), published in support of the joint Scottish Executive number of public and private sector architects and engineers, and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and local authority education officials. school estate strategy Building our Future: Scotland’s School The initial focus of the tour was on passive design techniques Estate. and, in particular, on natural ventilation methods. It was Sustainability, in its widest sense, is at the heart of the discovered that even with a design temperature of minus strategy’s vision for new and refurbished schools which 20ºC in winter, a number of the schools visited were support learning and teaching, and are an integral part of the achieving very low energy use targets - achieved through community, both today and for coming decades. an approach combining energy conservation and the use of passive heat gains. Good school design has an important role to play in delivering this vision, not just in physically creating the healthy and Whilst the tour was very instructive on the technical aspects ecologically-sensitive environments in which learning and of environmental design, it also gave an insight into the teaching can take place but also in demonstrating and imbuing involvement of schools with their wider communities and in pupils an awareness of the need for us all to develop more an approach to education, both of which differed to those sustainable ways of living in general. prevalent in Scotland. Since the launch of the strategy the Scottish Executive has, Following very positive feedback from the Norwegian tour, in partnership with others, been promoting the sharing of Gaia decided that a second tour to look at sustainable good practice in school design through national conferences, schools in Germany would build on the lessons learned workshops, guidance publications and other projects. An from Norway. The German tour took place in October important element of this work has been to seek out lessons 2004, with equally positive feedback. Again, the tour party and take inspiration from as many sources as possible, comprised Gaia staff, public and private sector architects and including examples of school buildings internationally. engineers, local authority officials and representatives of the Scottish Executive. In this context, Design&Construction of Sustainable Schools looks at some examples of recent sustainable school Recognising the importance of the lessons emerging from buildings in Norway and Germany, with a view to informing the study trips, it was felt that there would be benefit in the development of our school estate in Scotland. The book sharing the case studies with a much wider audience and will be of interest to everyone involved in school design. so the partnership between Gaia, SUST. The Lighthouse on Sustainability and the Scottish Executive to disseminate the material began.
1/2 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Plus + bauplanung - Teacher with three pupils - Kirchheim: Little School of interesttothem. feedback of the participants and reflect the items which were within the project descriptions) emerged empirically from the approach design consistent a establish (which themes The of significancetothoseprocuringschoolsinScotland. an from started interest visit in materials and German health and also The diversified into issues areas. other energy many into in expanded but interest climate, indoor an and ventilation from conservation, started visit Norwegian group. The the to interest of were to which aspects isprimarily the highlight theintention and visited projects the in reader of two, the of interest the engage volume first this In projects inordertoshowcasetheselectedspecificaspects. of range the from examples appropriate most volume the second use the and in selective be to sensible clearly is it terms of the elements the group were wishing to learn about, in merit varying of were schools the that Given depth. more The second volume will pick up on these and other themes in Norwegian Schools
The word drifted over the North Sea that Gaia Architects the schools, as on the buildings construction methods and in Norway - and others - were designing schools that were the associated technical systems. heated primarily by a combination of the body heat of the However, there was a third impression, which was stamped occupants and casual gains from equipment. Furthermore, on the collective memory - that of the power of high quality this was being achieved in a climate with a winter design- design - the pride and joy aspect of good architecture. The temperature below minus 20ºC. high point was experienced in the visit to the school at This information was the trigger for a study tour organised Farsund, where despite a lack of what would be considered by Gaia Research in May 2003, during the course of which high levels of environmentally conscious and healthy building it was established that the reality was much more complex, design practice, nevertheless the quality of the architecture and even more interesting, than the mere technical aspects was seen as a significant factor in the longevity, and therefore that had sparked the initiative. partly, the sustainability of the institution. It will see pupils and teachers, (and even educational practice and effective In the first instance, it became clear to the touring group management), come and go; however, as a structure both (which included architects, engineers, educationalists and internally and in its relationship with the town centre it is school clients) that high levels of insulation and airtight likely to be ‘a joy forever’. construction were not enough on their own to deliver energy efficient schools. Most of the projects visited also A scoring system was developed during the tour (red, had culverts or basements through which incoming fresh amber, green). Assessments were made between visits air was being preheated as it absorbed the temperature of and at evening feedback sessions, to seek to identify the the ground, through contact with the duct walls. In a country extent to which various aspects of the buildings visited were where it makes sense to build buildings with a basement transferable to Scotland. (deep foundations below frost line) it is an opportunistic “Fresh air is a human right” benefit to use this area for other purposes. It was quickly Nearly all of the schools made some use of a basement or decided that whilst there was a more limited potential for this culvert for their air intake. Most had hybrid systems, with a technique in Scotland - without such a ubiquitous basement large variation in both their effectiveness and the extent of tradition, nevertheless there were many other aspects of the their environmental credentials. passive design approach, which were readily transferable. The culvert system can also be used to pre-cool incoming air The Kjeldas school used primarily stack effect (a natural during warm weather. chimney) for its regular operation with a back up fan, used only in times of very still weather or during high levels of As the tour progressed, it also became clear that the pedagogy room occupancy. and the community involvement in the school design process were of great interest, and the group began to focus as much Meanwhile, the Kvadraturen school used merely a token on the way in which the buildings were used, the Norwegian amount of culvert and was primarily mechanically ventilated. teaching methods and the extent of parental involvement in The conversion of the senior school at Vanse made as
3/4 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS much use as it could of the redundant nineteenth century equipment, out in the open in all weathers (no such thing chimneys at the core of the building while still relying on as bad weather - only inappropriate clothing). The catering more conventional supplementary systems. arrangements were also different from those found here, (e.g. Kjeldås, where pupils made sandwiches and saved milk Perhaps the biggest impression was made at the Borhaug cartons for recycling etc), and there was also a distinct lack nursery school where the culvert system was coupled with of soft drinks in cans, and snacks such as sweets and crisps a passive system, whereby a ceiling delivered fresh air in evidence. via a “Pore Ventilation” system (also known as Dynamic Insulation), which had turned out to be so effective via the Design/procurement roof mounted air intake, that the culvert was redundant. The Those schools with the greatest amount of community subjective sense of freshness experienced by everyone in involvement tended to be the most successful in operation. this building and the fact that the culvert had never been High levels of involvement were evident in Kjeldas, Oserød, needed was a critical moment and perhaps a point of mental Vanse Phase 1, and Borhaug. dismissal, by many of the group, of the ground based intake The approach taken in Kvadraturen, Oddemarka and Vanse method. It must be remembered however, that due to its Phase 2 was more ”detached“ with little or no community coastal location, this school would never reach the extremes input. This resulted in schools that were not user friendly in of low temperature experienced by the schools located practice. Vanse Phase 2 went to competition against parental further inland, and also that as a coastal school it experienced wishes. on average less than six or seven days a year without wind. Farsund was an exception in that it was a competition but The Oserød school at Nøtterøy provided an ideal learning the community had clearly been involved in both the writing opportunity for the group. It utilised the need for long culverts of the brief and the delivery from the point of identifying the as a positive design generator whereby the teaching wings winner. were splayed (to accommodate the culvert), within which sheltered play took place. Pedagogy/community The design of the V-shape school was also responsive to an original pedagogic approach - self-directed learning in which pupils were given their daily tasks and then, as they progressed through the school, were given ever increasing amounts of freedom to sit in the area where they felt most comfortable for working - be it the classroom, the library or the central meeting area with its range of break-out spaces. Three of the schools (Farsund, Vanse, Oserød) impressed the group through the presentations of their head teachers - who seemed to have created a distinct sense of school OSLO community and an atmosphere of learning. Three schools Sande equally disappointed on this basis Kvadraturen, Oddemarka STAVANGER Nøtterøy and Vanse. LARVIK Other aspects of interest included the way in which children Borhaug played with good quality outdoor landscaping - use of Vanse Kristiansand hillocks and ground modelling, adventurous, (even risky) play Farsund German Schools
Following the successful study tour of Norwegian schools in Technology/efficiency 2003 it was decided that a second trip to southern Germany The perception of the construction methods of the German would be worthwhile. Gaia Architects arranged the tour schools was one of high quality workmanship and good in October 2004 and a range of architects, engineers and value for money. The building industry in Germany is based education building clients took part in a very intensive on traditional skills and it has not gone as far into offsite exercise, which looked at a range of exemplar sustainable construction as the Swiss, Austrian or Dutch industries. development projects including a number of schools, which Nevertheless, high skill levels throughout the trades were have been selected for exposition in this publication. evident, showcasing an industry with longer and more rigorous apprenticeships and training than is currently the The focus was on the work of three architects with a case in the UK. reputation for producing innovative and ecologically sound schools: Günter Behnisch, Peter Hübner and Gaia colleague The most innovative of the schools was at Pfennigäcker Joachim Eble. During the course of the tour feedback where a mass timber construction system (called Brettstapel), sheets were completed by all participants and collated. A had been introduced and also, a specialist colour consultant follow up workshop was held after returning to Scotland had been employed to raise the quality of both the internal and the assessments in this publication are drawn from and external surfaces of the buildings. these discussions plus other information from source (i.e. The school which the group felt dealt most effectively architects and clients of the visited projects). with daylight, was the Waldorf school, at Kircheim, which The core interest of the group followed from the first tour - an managed to create both external and internal spaces of interest in healthy and environmentally sound construction, interest and character within a very tight site perimeter. plus a grasp of some of the teaching methods and an Two of the schools visited in Südstadt, Tübingen were understanding of mechanisms for procurement. opportunist on the back of visits focusing on housing The group formed a distinct consensus on their most and development, but they did provide a few discussion points least favourite projects (Waldorf school and Hechinger Eck of value. Both projects were parts of buildings, which had school respectively), and it was reassuring to note that other functions (offices, housing). In one case it showed that the design quality of these went hand in hand with their flexibility in design to cater for uses other than educational can credentials for environmental performance and enlightened undermine the effectiveness of design for teaching purposes. procurement methods. However, whilst this was the general In the other, it made for a difficult division both internally and summary view, there was much interest in the detail: in externally between the school and neighbouring activities. technical, pedagogic and in management terms.
5/6 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Pedagogy/community The perception of the group, in all cases, was of a relaxed attitude with regard to the accessibility by all the community into the school grounds, (lack of fencing or any perimeter separation). Design/procurement The aesthetic quality of most of the schools was high - and apart from Pleizhausen and Mont Cernis the same projects were also very environmentally sound.
BERLIN
Herne Gelsenkirchen
FRANKFURT
STUTTGART Lorch Sillenbuch Kirchheim Unter Teck Tubingen Pliezhausen MUNICH Norway
Green for go! Amber for consider Red for no!
Scoring the projects Green for go! During the Norwegian study tour there was sufficient distance between projects to allow a mobile feedback session to be Technical Qualities undertaken on the bus. There was even enough time for • Use of natural ventilation in some form feedback sheets to be recorded on a laptop between visits. • Dynamic insulation on single storey spaces/ sports halls/ pools At the end of each day there was a discussion session, • Wind driven natural ventilation and it was decided then that issues could be identified as: • Small scale culverts through service ducts in building those things that could be transferred readily to the UK underground (Green for go!); those that would be more of a challenge • Allowing the introduction of fresh air at the outdoor (Amber for consider) and those that would be difficult or temperature even if as low as 8°C even unwelcome (Red for no!). The scoring was done by a • Night time mechanical extract collection of generalised points rather than on a school by • Reducing cooling and heating requirements through school assessment. The emphasis varied day by day - for design, layout and orientation example, day 1 had a very technical focus; day 2 had a much • Geothermal heating more social one; and by day 3 the group were looking for a • Heat reclaim/ recovery more rounded overall assessment. • Reduction in building services requirements • Regulation changes to assist in better indoor air quality and better daylight
Health Qualities • Better understanding of the contribution materials and cleaning make to air quality • Creation of improved internal environments • Use of natural materials • Use of ‘healthy’ materials (low odour/ non toxic) • Hygroscopic materials for control of humidity • Checking how materials can be cleaned before they are specified (thinking ahead)
7/8 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Design Qualities Amber for consider • Exciting design solutions • Nursery concept - homely atmosphere Technical Qualities • Different teaching ethos - more relaxed • Projects demonstrate a better understanding of outdoor • Sense of ownership and (resultant) lack of vandalism microclimate/ comfort • Great outdoor play areas • Dynamic insulation in top floors in multi-storey schools • Wind cowls (Oserød school) Recycling • Good fresh air in buildings in winter • Consideration to allow for deconstruction of building • Passive ventilation using stack effect and culvert elements for reuse and flexibility • Existing culvert vent systems such as voids under floors • Recycling incentives (e.g. milk cartons) • Culverts in existing school if space in redundant facilities Community Qualities • Passive/ hybrid ventilation - need to assess life cycle cost • Synthesis of school/ staircase/ café/ theatre/ assembly • Solar collectors (Farsund) • Culvert heating and cooling/ geothermal heating - what is • Community school function (library/ sports hall) running cost/ payback? • Social sharing/ community identity/ communal rules • Design attitudes - Do we need hybrid architects/ • Teacher/ parent/ user/ community involvement in design engineers to deliver such buildings? Procurement Issues • Timber linings (is spread of flame an issue?) • Provide guidance sample brief on Sustainable Health Qualities Development for PPP contracts? • Indoor air quality good @ 1000ppm CO2 • Dissemination to the broadest audience - can you do • Humidity regulation achieved through use of hygroscopic something like this in Scotland without incuring cost materials/ dynamic insulation - are we ready for this? penalities? • Low VOC finishes throughout • Knowledge - should the Scottish Executive issue a two • Cleaning regimes page guide for PPP output specifications as a specific • Slippers at school - wet rooms for outdoor clothes on measurable? bad days • Client-side specifications that deliver - good indoor air quality and natural light • Avoid over-sealing to maintain good indoor air quality Design Qualities Red for no! • Quantifiable eco-performance standards in brief and design assessments Technical Issues • Outdoor play facilities which would require a change in • Empty culverts attitude if implemented in Scotland • Full height culverts (on cost grounds) • Challenging (biodiverse) landscapes taking on health and • Double facades - too technical and unnecessary (cooling is safety issues a more significant problem)
Procurement Issues Procurement Issues • Educate clients/ councillors/ funders on benefits of • Transferring the Norwegian school system and Norwegian sustainable development space standards to Scotland • Crucial role/ responsibility of designers in achieving this Design issues • Finding the critical extra funding (if required). Should there • Good external play with a touch of danger/ risk be extra allowance for incorporating sustainability? • Supply chain - sourcing materials (and raising awareness). Community Issues • Issues with availability locally • More open attitude to the layout and security of schools • Provision of business facilities (teleconferencing and • A genuine culture of citizenship in schools meeting rooms)
Community Qualities • Multi use daylight - shared facilities for life long learning factored into cost and design • A genuine culture of citizenship in schools
9/10 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Conclusions All of the buildings gave an impression of trying to contribute A Note: to the community, some more explicitly than others. There Sustainable Construction & the Regulatory Framework also seemed to be a sense of a society that had strong values The Norwegian Regulations are particularly interesting. which were communicated through the schools. In terms of Highlighted below are just a few points of note. design for the future, this was apparent in the provision of • Norwegian building regulations are more attentive to flexible spaces and a flexible curriculum, as well as teaching implementation issues throughout the construction period and learning. And with regard to the provision of schools as and beyond than our existing regulations. a resource for the community, this was apparent through the • They are more focused on health aspects inside buildings. provision of facilities to promote culture and social skills. It is • There is a requirement that ventilation systems are clear that learning is treated as an adventure. Environmentally cleaned prior to use and are cleanable and maintainable in there was a high emphasis on good indoor air quality and use. healthy living. • There is a predisposition for the use of low-embodied energy materials. • Ventilation requirements specify maximum carbon dioxide levels of 1500ppm and require feedback, notwithstanding the fact that moderate levels carbon dioxide alone is not a good control sensor for good indoor air quality. • Ventilation requirements can be reduced if low emission materials are specified. GERMANY
Green for go! Amber for consider Red for no!
Scoring the projects Green for go! During the German study tour there was insufficient distance Technical Qualities between projects to allow the mobile feedback session to • Internal/ External relationships and responsibilities (e.g. for be properly undertaken on the bus. The group did manage to garden space) complete feedback forms on the first day, but on the second • Well day-lit, airy internal courtyards day, with projects very close together, even this became • Use of natural materials (predominantly) difficult to arrange. • Use of natural ventilation • Culvert ventilation to pre-heat/ cool incoming air The feedback notes were recorded only on return to the • Use of timber finishes - especially mass timber UK, and three of the schools, where there was no formal (brettstapel) feedback, had to be done retrospectively at a specially • Rainwater harvesting convened workshop. The evening seminars which had been • Use of borrowed light for deep-plan classrooms. a feature of the Norwegian tour proved impossible to run in Health Qualities the same manner. To retain some level of consistency, the • Use of daylight and natural ventilation feedback sheets from the individual German schools have been aggregated, as with the Norwegian schools. Those Community Qualities issues that could be transferred readily to the UK are in • Mixed use and sharing space with neighbours Green for go, those that would be more of a challenge are Procurement Issues in Amber for consider, and those that would be difficult or • Providing guidance even unwelcome are in Red for no. The scoring, therefore, • Sample brief on Sustainable Development for PPP is a collection of generalised points rather than a school by contracts school assessment. Design Qualities • Buildings with sense of presence and genus loci • Use of space, light and natural timber finishes • Tactile materials • Classroom blocks having their own identity • Good internal landscape • Internal/ external use of water •Structural expression
11/12 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS • Use of circulation as activity space Design Qualities • Good but not excessive detailing • Use of water in internal and external landscaping (Health • Child scale WCs and window heights and Saftey Issue?) • Use of colour • Each class with their own garden, cared for by the children • ‘House’ style/ domestic scale classrooms • Flexibility for long term change • Informal areas in classrooms • Integration of playground into landscape Recycling • Direct access from classroom into landscape • Consideration to allow for deconstruction of building • Some buildings were iconic but it was concluded that this elements for reuse and flexibility was not necessarily appropriate for a school
Amber for consider Technical Qualities • A better understanding of outdoor microclimate/ comfort • Use of timber and fire regulations • Colour stained wood and use of colour • Extensive use of photovoltaics (making a significant energy contribution) • Greater consideration of the use of thermal mass Health Qualities • Indoor air quality • Should we use wireless systems or keep IT in separate classrooms (electro-smog issues)? Procurement Issues • Electro-smog discussion regarding IT provision Community Qualities • Openness of campus and apparent lack of security • Extent of supervision (more relaxed than Scotland) • Extent of community use of school (more than Scotland) Red for no! Conclusions There was some very creative procurement, especially in the Technical Issues Hübner schools, where huge amounts of pupil and community • External timber boarding is still cosidered to be a fire risk, involvement were evident. There also seemed to be a much there is a need to look more closely at timber engineering more relaxed attitude towards security with open access issues for the local people to the school and its grounds. Design • Poor internal acoustics due to hard surface finishes for disability was not thought to be an issue at the schools • Poorly controlled natural ventilation visited as, in Germany, those with disabilities are segregated • Too much use of glass and then need for shading into special schools. Use of natural materials and natural ventilation were much in evidence. As was the creative use Procurement Issues of colour and good landscape quality, indoors and out, which • Transferring was well connected between spaces and buildings. • No brettstapel manufacturer in UK
Design issues • Lack of disability access to classroom mezzanines and in some cases to the schools • Lack of child scale in ‘flexible’ schools • Large areas of glass facing onto playgrounds • Continuing use of a single layout concept over 20 years • Quite often a lot of gratuitous, unused space
Community Issues • More open attitude to the layout and security of schools, not possible in Scotland at present • Four year olds doing own cooking/ preparing lunch • Risk of arson with external wood finishes? • Some schools were remote from their communities
13/14 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Plus + bauplanung - Comprehensive School in Gelsenkirchen 01 Kjeldås Primary School
Introduction • lunch was based on healthy eating and was also The focus of the visit to the primary school at Kjeldås was the organised by the pupils themselves making use of an new extension to an existing school. The brief was written open school kitchen and dining area; and with a strong emphasis on the quality of the indoor climate, • a novel Milk Carton Recycling initiative was also running the delivery of this without the use of mechanical ventilation at the school whereby Norwegian milk cartons are systems and paying close attention to the avoidance of both designed to be recycled, with nine flattened cartons chemical and biological sources of pollution. fitting inside one open one. Each pack of ten gives one entry ticket into a National Lottery. The cartons are then This was the first of a series of school visits and as such, burned as paper logs in a municipality district heating the attention of the group initially remained focused on scheme. the technical aspects of the design. However, as this was also an introductory experience to the style of education, Location Sande, Norway conversations expanded into this area towards the end of the Type of School Primary visit, setting in train a discussion, which lasted, and indeed Completion Date 2001 expanded throughout the tour. Client Sande Council Background Design Team Kjeldås school is located in Sande and deals with 300 Architect pupils in the age range of 6 to 13. The driving force for the Arkitektkompaniet A.S healthy school concept was the parent body, together with a sympathetic architect and engineer who were keen to Heating, Ventilation Drainage become involved in the healthy schools approach. Dagfinn H. Jørgensen AS Landscape design The building which emerged was one with conventional Asbjørn Flemmen classrooms with high ceilings and high insulation levels. Less 2 conventionally, however, it is constructed from healthy and Area 1500m vetted building materials, a culvert based ventilation pre-heat Cost 30 million Nkr system, and ground source heat pumps provide a renewable Number of pupils 300 (age range 6 - 13) supply of energy for heating. Choice of Site Brownfield (extension of existing school) In terms of the social aspects of the school, there were a few Construction Untreated timber and masonry interesting factors: • the playground had been carried out as a positive contoured landscape for adventurous play;
15/16 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Brian Hemming
01 KJELDÅS PRIMARY SCHOOL Design ethos Materials specified for the building are classed as low The school extension is located along the south side of (pollution) emission materials - such as brick, untreated the site - an advantage in winter when solar gains can be timber, linoleum, clay tiled flooring and water based paints. useful, but a potential problem in summer due to the risk of Under the Norwegian Building Regulations such an approach overheating. This is resolved by the use of brise soleil (sun to materials specification merits a 20% reduction in the shading), aimed at excluding direct solar gains in the summer, required fresh air change rate. whilst allowing the lower angled winter sun to penetrate. Materials avoided are: The use of a high level rooflight in each classroom captures • carpets (source of dust mites and emission from diffuse light, thus introducing very effective daylighting to the backing materials); heart of the classroom. It also doubles as a natural chimney • Oriented Strand Board (OSB); and forming an extract at the end of the ventilation infrastructure. • particle board due to formaldehyde content. The long, thin plan form allows for sufficient culvert surface area in the undercroft to ensure that incoming air can take Norwegian contractors can be held responsible for correcting advantage of the fact that the ground temperature varies any errors of their making. In this school, during the course little - remaining somewhere between 10 - 12ºC over the of construction, the internal brick finish developed severe year. This means that the culvert, at an almost constant discoloration and the contractor was required to ‘make temperature, can be used in winter (for preheating the air) good’ by providing a paint wash over the brick, which was and in summer (for cooling the air). The intake for the outdoor considered by common consent to be a more attractive finish air is through a conical tower of about 2m in height (sited well than the original bare brick. above any interference at low level). This region of Norway The culvert in the undercroft was big enough to walk around is not one with a constant and reliable wind regime (unlike, in and to allow for regular cleaning. At the other end of the for example, Vanse in the south west), so the culvert has an system, temperature controlled roof-lights helped to create in-line fan which can be used to assist the natural “stack” the necessary stack effect and to bring natural daylight into (chimney) effect on calmer days. Most of the schools visited the centre of the classrooms providing a more even spread of had such a back-up. This defines the installation as a hybrid light than by using side windows only and reducing the need ventilation system (natural with mechanical assistance). for artificial lighting during the day. All classrooms have Carbon Dioxide monitoring with a design level set for not more than 1500 ppm. In winter, the culvert temperature of around 10 to 12°C provides a preheat for incoming air, but there is still a requirement for additional heating, and this is provided from a geothermal source connected to a heat pump. It is worth noting that electricity in Norway is primarily from a renewable source (hydro power) and is also relatively inexpensive which makes this technology more viable than it might be in Scotland, although interest in such systems is growing, and some local authorities where electricity is the main source of - Temperature controlled solar chimney/rooflight fuel for heating are leading the way on this.
Materials and services Gaia Architects
17/18 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Landscape Impression of the Scottish visitors The playground provides a positive, contoured landscape It was felt that the subjective experience of being in the using material excavated from the building process to create classrooms in Kjeldås school was one of comfort, both in an environment that encourages adventurous play, including a terms of temperature and fresh air. At this stage, all were mini ski hill and a play mound. The playground equipment itself interested in and accepting of, the culvert system. The was adventurous - promoting what might even be described materials were well received and together with a fairly muted as ‘risk based’ play. This set in motion a debate, which colour scheme and good daylighting were felt to add to a carried on throughout the tour, as the group was regularly pleasant ambience. The ventilation system had been subject confronted by such examples and discussion revolved around in its early days to acoustic problems - with some cross-talk the possibility of this approach being transferable to Scotland. between classrooms transferred through the culvert and its A further development of the discussion was in noting that ducts. Some mitigation had been put in place and this had the children were involved in the school’s social activity more improved, but was still an issue. than would be the case in Scotland. The entire group was excited by the play provision and its underlying ethos. The impression of significant community involvement through all the age groups was also evident and formed part of an evolving debate. - School extension showing brise soleil on South Façade Gaia Architects Fionn Stevenson
01 KJELDÅS PRIMARY SCHOOL 02 Oserød Primary School
Introduction Location Nøtterøy, Norway This primary school was a new build project procured Type of School Primary through PFI and designed and delivered in a single year. Completion Date 2004 Both teachers and parents had been significantly involved in the design process, and it was reported that this had helped Client Nøtterøy Council greatly in terms of retaining the sense of shared ownership Design Team of a community school. The detailed design is a response Architect to a child-centred approach to education in this school, an Lille Frøen approach that was also evident in some of the projects visited Area 6350m2 subsequently on the tour. Cost 19.8 million Nkr The layout was very clear, especially the point of arrival, and Number of pupils 400 (in the age range 6 - 13) the landscaping provision and playground design were the Procurement Route PFI subject of much debate. Construction The extent to which the delivery of the indoor climatic design Masonry and timber externally with “demountable” was effective and consistent was also a discussion topic. prefabricated interior walls. Background Oserød school is located in Nøtterøy and has 400 pupils in the age range of 6 to 13 years old. The teaching philosophy at this school is based on child-centred learning - with classrooms for the later years acting as base units, but with an option for pupils to carry out their work wherever in the school they feel most comfortable. There is a sense of curriculum progression, with the classrooms for the youngest pupils being very domestic in feel and the later years being more formal. The classrooms act as a home base for a particular age group, but each has a distinctive atmosphere relevant to the age range it serves.
19/20 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Central play area with ‘sand river’ between classroom wings Fionn Stevenson -
02 OSERØD PRIMARY SCHOOL Design ethos Materials and services The first impression was of a school with a highly legible plan The choice of materials lacked the consistency of approach form - two wings meeting at a focal point, which comprised found at Kjeldås (the school visited previously). Materials that the entrance, school hall and informal dining and break-out seem to have been selected for their positive environmental areas. The wings widen out towards the ends and form a very credentials are mixed with materials that have none to speak interesting south facing creative play courtyard - with a sand of. Some of the finishes could be described as ‘challenging’, ‘river’ running through its centre. notably for example, the use of exposed OSB (Oriented Strand Board) elements, which seemed to be a contradictory To the front of the school is a very hard landscaped area selection, given their high VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) (almost completely tarmacadam) which is mounded to provide content and off-gassing characteristics. a skateboard park. The school lacked fencing and was readily accessible by the general public. A strong emphasis is placed on the potential for future replacement and de-construction, and this is evidenced by the The ventilation cowls, which had been purpose designed use of prefabricated panelling. The standing seam roof was for the project, acted as a very distinctive iconic element, also highlighted as a readily recyclable element. and the architect clearly wished to advertise the building’s environmental credentials The primary form of ventilation for the classroom wings is via culvert ventilation ducts running the length of the two wings. Despite significant effort in the design of special cowls on the roof ridge, with a view to improving the stack effect and delivering exhaust air downstream of the prevailing wind, it was felt necessary to support this system by fan-assisted back-up, due to the unreliable wind regime in this area. Additional heating is provided via a ground source heat pump. The group were bemused to discover that (uniquely) the administration wing in this school is air-conditioned. A limited amount of south facing glazing is incorporated, with some degree of shading for the summer. Throughout the school, daylighting is at an acceptable level and the sports hall also benefits from good natural light. View from dining/meeting area to internal courtyard Fionn Stevenson - Brian Hemming
21/22 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Landscape Impression of the Scottish visitors The playground areas are split into two distinct types. Educationalists amongst the group thought the building looked unfinished, especially internally. Although the central Opposite the school entrance area there is a tarmac area which play area was much admired, there was discussion about the is clearly meant to be for robust use such as skateboarding and school’s lack of fencing which made it readily accessible by the roller blading. The idea of a steep hillock made from tarmac is a general public. The situation in Scotland, post-Dunblane, is non challenging one for transferability to a Scottish school context. conducive to such a strategy. The inner courtyard acts as a sun-trap and is an altogether All of the visitors were impressed by the variation in the fit-out different space with more soft landscaping and a distinctive, of the classrooms, and the way in which these changed for large sandpit in the form of a stream running through the each age group as pupils progressed through the school. There centre of the playground. was however, much debate about the benefits of the concept of pupil-based learning, with concern expressed that it might only really work well with good parental support at home. Rooftop ventilation cowls Fionn Stevenson -
02 OSERØD PRIMARY SCHOOL 03 Oddemarka Primary School
Introduction Location Kristiansand, Norway This school was a very good example of the way in which the Type of School Primary green agenda can be lost between the architect’s intent and Completion Date 2002 the project eventually delivered, as a result of a novation to the contractor at tender stage. Client Vest-Agder Council Design Team The original design included provision for healthy building Architect materials and a natural ventilation approach. However, the Ole Dolva AS final material specification became conventional and the natural ventilation was reduced to the extent that the back- Heating, Ventilation, Drainage up fans became a major element. Løyning AS Area 4500m2 Background Oddemarka School is situated in Kristiansand and caters for Cost 56.25 million Nkr just over 500 pupils in the age range 6 to 13. The part of Number of pupils 515 (in the age range 6 - 13) the school under scrutiny was an extension to an existing Choice of Site school - involving a doubling of the classroom provision and a Brownfield (extension to existing school) similar plan form to the original classroom wing. The junction Procurement Route PFI between the two has been exploited effectively as a shared atrium, dining and informal auditorium area. Construction Steel frame, masonry walls with lightweight panels on The project was procured by a PFI-type route, and was concrete internal walls. designed and constructed in one year without significant stakeholder input.
23/24 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Chris Butters
03 ODDEMARKA PRIMARY SCHOOL Design Ethos Materials and services The design is based on providing dedicated areas for each A rudimentary approach to indoor climate included the use year, with interesting spaces and curriculum challenges. of woodwool slabs to help deal with indoor humidity levels. The convention in Norway is for the pupils to move and the However, an opportunity for further moisture control was lost, teachers to remain in dedicated classrooms, the converse of in that the majority of the panelling comprises very thin, pre- the convention in th UK. finished (and non-permeable) birch veneer on plasterboard backing, screwed directly to the concrete block walls. The layout comprises conventional classrooms on two storeys. The staircase to the upper level is deliberately wide In general, a heavy emphasis was placed on prefabricated and doubles as raked seating, opening out onto an area that panelling, purportedly for the purposes of ease of replacement is used for meetings, having lunches and occasionally for and de-construction in the future. However, the group were assembly and performance. unconvinced that the heavy self-finished concrete elements were readily demountable. Although the classroom section on the upper floor would have benefited from roof lights, this opportunity was not The indoor specification did not include much at all in the way exploited. of healthy materials other than those described above. Opportunities for daylight were not fully exploited and there was a reliance on artificial lighting, which seemed to be in use continuously throughout the day. The culvert ventilation was significantly supported by back-up fan power, with resultant duct noise caused by the use of dampers to control airflow rates. Cenral/ social space Brian Hemming - Ian Cameron
25/26 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Landscape Impression of the Scottish visitors The site was very tight and there was little opportunity for On the positive side, teaching in small groups to support self- the architect to indulge in ambitious landscape provision. A learning programmes impressed the visitors and seemed an combination of tarmac and artificial grass was used, suggesting effective method of teaching. On the other hand, the group evidence of high-density use. picked up on an apparent lack of a cooperative culture outside the classroom - although this could easily be attributed to the age group of the pupils. Low impact, healthy lunching was in evidence here as elsewhere, with a complete absence of fried/ fast foods or anything drinkable coming from an aluminium can. It was apparent that early aspirations with regard to design quality, particularly in terms of the indoor finishes, had been lost as a result of the novation, and the culvert ventilation system was also not operating optimally. Fionn Stevenson
03 ODDEMARKA PRIMARY SCHOOL 04 Kvadraturen High School
Introduction Location Kristiansand, Norway Kvadraturen is a Senior School and Technical College and it Type of School High was the only urban, high-density school on the study tour. Completion Date 2004 It is very distinctive architecturally and was the outcome of a competition, but the fact that it remained so distinctive Client Vest - Agder County Council while being procured through a private finance route is also Design Team noteworthy. Such an architectonic expression would have Architect been difficult to get across to (and gain the approval of) non- Arkitektgruppen Cubus AS architects. Heating, Ventilation Drainage Background UNICO AS 2 2 Kvadraturen School is situated in Kristiansand and caters for Area 19.3m /person, newbuild:12600m , renovation: 2 1200 pupils in the age range 13 - 18 years. 3600m The decision to demolish part of the school and build anew Cost 260 million Nkr was the outcome of a life-cycle costing exercise. The resultant Number of pupils 1200 (in the age range 13 - 18 years) new building wing came with an explicit environmental Choice of Site Brownfield, urban agenda. On the eve of the Scottish delegation’s visit, the Procurement Route PFI group attended a presentation by design consultants which raised the expectations for the next day’s visit. Construction Concrete frame with light weight partitions and timber cladding.
27/28 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Fionn Stevenson
04 KVADRATUREN HIGH SCHOOL Materials and services Landscape The approach to the building of the new wing was adopted The site for this school is very tight and it is close to the on the basis of a stated policy of achieving a 98% recycling street with little frontage. This, and the fact that the site had strategy. The key technical component of the building (as not yet been handed over, which meant that the landscaping presented by the consultants) was a double façade and was incomplete at the time of the visit, combine to make although the outer skin had still to be installed at the time of comment on the landscape superfluous. However, there is the visit, the design principle was clear from drawings made an inner courtyard space, which acts as a core and a link available for study by the group. between the old and new buildings and this space houses a successful and busy cafeteria. Ventilation is based on a fan-powered mini-culvert hybrid system with extract heat recovery. On the top floor, the ducts are transparent as a means of expressing this element to the users. Transparent ducts connecting to system Fionn Stevenson - Brian Hemming
29/30 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Impression of the Scottish visitors The interior was felt to be dark, bleak and gothic. The The evening before the visit to the Kvadraturen school detailing of windows, railings and controls was felt to be the visiting group were given a seminar on the principles weak. It was unclear to the group why there were vertical behind the project, which outlined a sophisticated design solar panels on the north elevation and the other façades methodology and a long list of aspirational environmental appeared to be overshadowed for much of the year. criteria. At this point, the group was very optimistic about Generally, it was concluded that the environmental agenda what they would see the following day. It may have been had been approached via a checklist rather than a holistic because of the high expectations resulting from the seminar design approach. However, even in its own terms, it was prior to the visit, or perhaps the group did not appreciate the considered that the school did not fulfill in reality what it had building architecturally, but this was ultimately regarded as set out to achieve, and that as such, much of the checklist the least successful of the projects visited. remained ‘unticked’. Brian Hemming
04 KVADRATUREN HIGH SCHOOL 05 Eilert Sundt Secondary School
Introduction Location Farsund, Norway Eilert Sundt Community School at Farsund is a significant Type of School Secondary example of architectural design quality. Not only is the building stunning inside and out and a good example of urban Completion Date 1999 design, but the ethos of community integration is superbly Client Vest-Agder Council delivered. Design Team Strong leadership was evident from the school principal, both Architect within the school and as a member of the local community. Biong Arkitekter AS Heating, Ventilation, Drainage As well as having library and meeting room spaces that are Lindeberg AS open to the public, the school also provides business facilities 2 for the local community. The community also has controlled Area 4000m access to the school sports facilities from 8am to 10pm. The Number of pupils 300 (in the age range 13 - 18) school neither set out to, nor did it deliver a particularly strong Choice of Site environmental agenda. But, the fact that it could have readily Brownfield (extension of existing school) done so, is simultaneously frustrating and reassuring. Procurement Route Background Design competition At the point of writing the initial brief for the building, a Construction decision had to be made as to whether to re-locate the Steel frame and masonry school to a new site on the town periphery or to extend within the tight space available in the existing town centre. The architectural competition which was established for the school decided to adopt the latter approach. The town of Farsund occupies a number of steep hills and the new building is an extension to an existing nineteenth century building on top of one of these hills. The building has links at ground floor level to the top floor of the extension, which then falls through three levels to a lower urban shopping street.
31/32 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS - Townscape with school in background Fionn Stevenson
05 EILERT SUNDT SECONDARY SCHOOL Cenral/ social space Chris Butters -
Design ethos Materials and services A strong architectural concept was required in order to The whole building is bright and well lit and this contributes to address the challenges of the steep hill, however the difficult conservation in artificial lighting requirement. A comfortable terrain was used to advantage within the design. This is indoor climate is achieved via conventional mechanical evident in the creative use of space under an existing car park means, using displacement ventilation, and in that sense this for the community sports hall, for example. The junction of building was less environmentally sound than many of the the existing school and the new extension generates a new other examples visited. The reason for this is that the brief entrance for the car park via the sports hall roof. did not set out an environmentally sound specification and so, this was not part of the expectation of the client. The finishes, At the lower/ street level, the vertical circulation space however, were generally of a high quality. doubles up as a gathering area and acts as a linking point between town and gown.
33/34 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Existing School at back/new school linking with urban setting Fionn Stevenson - Chris Butters Fionn Stevenson
Landscape Impression of the Scottish visitors The site was tight and within an existing urban framework, The whole group was completely smitten by this building. however, the extent as which the building was totally If ever anyone needed to be convinced of the value of good integrated into the town fabric could in itself be regarded as quality architecture as a contributor to the sustainability of an a piece of landscaping. institution, they would be convinced by this school. What is especially interesting is that this project probably ticked the fewest boxes on the environmental checklist of any of the schools visited and yet it had a subjective impact far greater than some which scored higher technically, or came from an ambitious green brief, but which seemed less convincing in overall terms.
05 EILERT SUNDT SECONDARY SCHOOL 06 Vanse Primary School
Introduction Location Vanse, Norway Vanse is an isthmus on the south-west tip of Norway, Client Farsund Council projecting into the North Sea, halfway between Stavanger and Type of School Primary Kristiansand. The school council of Vanse, including parents, had previously commissioned a new block of classrooms Completion Date 1998 based on state-of-the-art ecological design principles. The Design Team parents wished to continue this policy into the next, second Architect phase, however, the education authority procurement rules Gaia Llsta AS had changed to PFI and they neither got their wish nor indeed Structural engineer a second healthy building. Asplan Viak Sør Background Heating, Ventilation, Drainage Vanse school has a capacity of 120 children of age range 6 to Løyning AS, Øystein Bekkevoll 13. The school council had specifically commissioned a local Electrical engineer El team AS architect with a national reputation to undertake the delivery 2 Area 500m of their state-of-the-art healthy school, (Dag Roalkvam of Gaia – a specialist in healthy indoor climate design). The Cost 8 million Nkr visit to this school took place on a Saturday and therefore Number of pupils 120 (in the age range 6 - 13 years) it was more difficult to make a snapshot judgement asto Choice of Site the effectiveness of the building than was the case at the Brownfield, (extension to existing school) previous schools. The only local guide was the architect and Procurement Route PFI uniquely, at this location the group did not meet teachers or Construction Timber pupils.
35/36 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Gaia Lista
06 VANSE PRIMARY SCHOOL Design ethos The passive design principles for this school included: The design for the first (environmentally sound) phase, • Avoidance of underfloor heating for all but the early was a partnership brief between parents, teachers and the morning arrival time. In Norway, with hydro-power design team and is based on passive design principles. The as a primary energy source, the use of electricity for key defining elements of this are natural ventilation, minimal heating does not lead to major CO emissions and it is heating and healthy materials. Exposed ducting was used and 2 common, as was the case in this instance, for the back- a rustic approach to the interior. up heating to be based on a heat pump. • Natural ventilation, using a combined approach of an underground culvert, with opening windows as an option for overriding control if needed. A small back-up fan offered a back-up to the natural stack (chimney) effect, operating the culvert system. • Local, manual and visible controls were based on the occupants (both teachers and children) being aware of their own environment. • Moisture transfusive (breathing) wall construction is used throughout as a means of moisture management. This is a significant element in maintaining a healthy indoor climate by avoiding the occurrence of conditions in which mould and mites can thrive. • Materials were selected for two main criteria: (1) that they had no harmful emissions and (2) that they were hygroscopic (capable of absorbing and releasing moisture). • Due to the trade-off between high levels of glazing and natural lighting against resultant heat loss, the decision was made to opt for ‘medium to good’ daylighting, Materials and services rather than adopting an approach whereby daylighting was a dominant factor. Gaia Architects Ian Cameron
37/38 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Landscape Impression of the Scottish visitors This site was another demonstration of adventurous play Whilst being convinced of the effectiveness of the design provision. Close to the school there are hard surfaced areas principles being delivered, the group raised questions about where there is the greatest foot traffic. Meanwhile, in a the cleanliness and regular care of the buildings after hand- separate area further away and available to the whole school, over. The visit was indeed on a Saturday and it may have been provision is made for a full playground – with soft surfaces that cleaning took place on Monday morning, but the general and challenging play equipment. As with all other Norwegian feeling was that the after-care and regular maintenance of schools, the policy is of playtime always being outdoors. The such a highly principled building could have been better. principle is that there is no such thing as bad weather, just ‘different’ weather, with a resultant need for appropriate clothing. Brian Hemmong
06 VANSE PRIMARY SCHOOL 07 Borhaug Nursery School
Introduction Location 4563 Borhaug The new nursery in Borhaug is adjacent to the senior school Type of School Nursery but totally independent and in its own site. The building was Completion Date 1999 described as a ‘kindergarten dream’ by one of the visitors and was probably viewed as the most successful project across Client Farsund Council the board, based on all the criteria that the group was looking Design Team for. It is very well sited in its landscape, is architecturally Architects interesting, is child friendly and has a very healthy indoor Gaia Lista AS climate. In addition, the school is run in a child-centred way, Structural engineer which impressed everyone. Asplan Viak Sør Background Heating, Ventilation, Drainage The nursery caters for 38 children in the age range of 0 to Løyning AS, Sørlandets Klimateknikk AS 6. Its provision allowed the staff and children to move out Electrical Engineer of a congested, converted house into a bespoke building, Egerhei AS designed and fit for purpose. The brief was developed 2 Area 196 m jointly by the parents, staff and design team, and the main concern was for an ecologically sound building with a healthy Cost 3.9 million Nkr indoor climate. There was continuous, close and ongoing Number of pupils 38 (in the age range 0 - 6 years) communication between all the partners right through the Construction project. Timber and natural stone The ethos of the school is set down in a set of explicit principles which were derived together with the children and which are displayed on the wall in large letters at the entrance.
39/40 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Fionn Stevenson
07 BORHAUG NURSERY SCHOOL Design ethos Materials and services The building relates on all its façades to the outdoor climate, The subjective response of the visitors was of a sense of creating sheltered areas to the leeward side and turning its fresh air, and all were convinced of the effectiveness of back to the prevailing wind. The outdoor areas are also varied, the ventilation strategy. The micro-climatic design includes so that different parts of the playground will be optimal both outdoor and indoor comfort whilst delivering a building according to the weather. with a low energy demand. The design incorporates both a culvert ventilation pre-heat system and ceilings with dynamic The front corner of the building is shaped like a ship’s prow, insulation whereby the incoming air is delivered through the but built at child-scale and from it is the main view over the insulation in the roof and is introduced into the room through harbour and out to sea, relating to the maritime setting and a completely perforated ceiling finish. promoting aspiration. The design is simple and has a flexible layout internally. The whole approach of the design is that The dynamic insulation proved to be so efficient that the it is orientated towards the child and is effectively a large culvert has not been needed. There is extensive use of playhouse, with windows at a 3 year-old child’s eye level. natural materials, from the dry-stone walls and untreated external timber through to the non-toxic materials and finishes internally. The wall construction is also moisture transfusive (a breathing wall), by virtue of its untreated finishes and environmentally sound components. Fionn Stevenson Brian Hemming
41/42 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Landscape Impression of the Scottish visitors The exterior areas have been given an equal amount of The group was impressed from the point of entry to the site detailed attention as the indoor areas. There are at least and again at the point of entry to the building. The site has a three different kinds of ‘place’ within the small field in distinct genius loci from the outset and further exploration which the building sits and each comes into effect as the makes the site even more convincing. The explicit values weather changes. The connection of the school grounds to inside the nursery entrance set the tone for a child-centred its neighbouring landscape is seamless. school, where the feeling is almost one of invading the children’s territory. The indoor space was described as ‘stunning’ by many of the party and yet it is simple. It was also agreed that the project was very successful in its delivery of the indoor climate objectives set out in the brief. Chris Butters
07 BORHAUG NURSERY SCHOOL 08 Borhaug Senior School
Introduction Location Borhaug, Norway The new secondary school in Borhaug comprises an original, Type of School Secondary traditional, three storey building, built as a school in the Completion Date 2001 nineteenth century, with an additional wing added in the seventies. The whole school was refurbished with a view to Client Farsund Council creating a healthy indoor climate, similar in objective to the Design Team new-build nursery next door. Architect Gaia Lista and Siv. Ark. MNAL Odd Aanensen Background The school caters for 137 pupils aged between 13 and 18. Heating, Ventilation, Drainage It also contains a community library and has a curriculum for Løyning AS 2 mature students as well as school children. The impression Area 1000m given here, as in many of the other schools, was of strong Number of pupils 137 (aged between 13 and 18) leadership from the head teacher, with a clear pedagogic Choice of Site philosophy and a determination to link strongly with the Brownfield. Refurbishment of, and extension to the existing parents and the rest of the community. school. The building sits in the centre of the village and looks out Construction over the harbour and sea beyond. It is, therefore, well placed Existing building refurbished with natural low/ no toxic geographically to fulfil its community role. materials
43/44 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS 08 Borhaug Senior School Chris Butters
08 BORHAUG SENIOR SCHOOL Design Ethos Impression of the Scottish visitors The building brief for the senior school came from a similar The visitors commented on the strong leadership and school, parent and design team partnership to the nursery, regarded this as a theme going back through all the visits. but in this case the objectives were more constrained in There seemed to be almost a direct connection between terms of what could be achieved, as the senior school started the quality of the teaching staff, notably the heads, and the from an existing group of buildings and a limited budget for quality of the buildings they procured. internal upgrading. The major objective was, therefore, for a This school is a good demonstration of how much can be green refurbishment. done on a limited budget, and acts as an exemplar in terms It was decided from the outset to retain the original timber of respecting good quality in old buildings. The indoor climate detailing in the old school wing, especially in the classrooms. appeared to be good, despite the architect’s reservation at Further, making an ingenious use of original features meant being constrained technically. that natural ventilation could be introduced into the core of the building.
Materials and services The quality of the original joiner-work detailing was a notable feature of the building. All of the finishes were stripped back to the original material and natural non-toxic finishes applied. New timber and other materials were selected, based on their environmental credentials. Natural ventilation was introduced into the core of the building, taking up a space which had previously been a duplicate corridor. This was then connected to the existing, disused chimney-stacks, which were cored and re-lined, thus creating a culvert-type effect with its own natural stack. However, because of the restricted surface area and volume
available for preheating incoming air, the system required Ian Cameron additional heating and fan-power to operate for the whole school. A significant achievement was the natural ventilation of the computer room.
Landscape The building sits end on to the main village street and is restricted by its main entrance frontage which is onto the side street. It was decided to use the intake points for the culvert ventilation as gatepost markers and this is effective in drawing the eye towards the entrance from the corner of the main and side streets. Ian Cameron
45/46 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Ian Cameron Ian Cameron Chris Butters
08 BORHAUG SENIOR SCHOOL 09 Hechinger Eck Primary School
Introduction + Background Location Tübigen, Germany When the French armed forces left Tübingen in 1991 the Type of School Primary local authority seized the opportunity to develop an area of Completion Date June 1999 the city that had previously been inaccessible, separated from the city centre by a dual carriageway and train lines as Client Tübingen Council & Housing Association GWG well as natural barriers formed by the river Neckar. Design Team Architect Tübingen City, together with Büro Lehen from Stuttgart Hochbauamt Stadt Tübingen who were employed as a result of a competition, devised Structure a supportive framework for the redevelopment of the area, Ing Büro Schneck- Schall- Braun which aims to create an urban, small-plotted and mixed-use Heating, Ventilation, Drainage, Electrical structure with a high density of social facilities and services. Ing Büro SRM The City was able to buy the area from the government at Area preferential rates and from sales of plots for other uses was 2 able to invest the profit made in nurseries, day-care facilities, 4,530 m in total School: 1,593 m2 schools and other community facilities, which formed an 2 important part of the overall redevelopment framework. Commercial: 477 m Flats: 1145 m2 2 In the case of the school at Hechinger Eck, additional funding Communal: 1,315 m for the building was achieved by providing a building that (underground car park, storage, stairs, lifts) was larger than required for the school and incorporating a Cost 5.4million € number of commercial spaces. It was the intention that these Number of pupils 270 in 12 classes (age range 6-13) could be bought back at a later stage when and if the school Choice of Site needed to expand. Brownfield, former French garrison Procurement Route Traditional tender construction Construction External blockwork walls and reinforced concrete ceilings and floors
47/48 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Ian Cameron
09 HECHINGER ECK PRIMARY SCHOOL Design ethos Materials and services One of the main design aspects of the school was to cater Tübingen Council’s architectural design service takes for the changing demographic profile and the increasing particular care to avoid materials known and/ or suspected to number of pupils expected over the coming years due to the present a health risk in the indoor environment or which are expansion and redevelopment of the area. The mixed-use known to be harmful to the environment. Whilst generally building was, therefore, designed so that the adjacent offices using conventional building methods (external block walls accessible via a separate stair, could easily be converted to and reinforced concrete ceilings and floors), the nursery was classrooms accessed from the school’s own circulation if built following the council’s guidelines which forbid the use required at a future date. of timber preservatives (apart from boric salts), solvent-based adhesives, PVC, materials containing CFCs, tropical timber As with the Loretto Nursery (see case study 10), the aim was and mineral fibrous insulating materials. The building services to avoid physical barriers and to integrate the building into the were also designed in line with the council’s requirement to surrounding development and public areas. achieve low energy standards and reuse of grey water. Ian Cameron
49/50 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Impressions of the Scottish visitors The generous circulation which centred on the main stair together with compact layout and positioning of the classrooms around the central area, avoided corridors. The design for expansion, although a good idea in theory, presented problems in practice. The concept of purchasing back commercially used rooms in order to reintegrate them into the school had proved more difficult than anticipated and necessitated court action, highlighting the need to amend the purchasing/ leasing agreements to suit the school’s potential needs. The design of the school around this concept also led to the school looking like a commercial building, which, while well integrated with the neighbouring properties, did not
seem appropriate for the school itself. Ian Cameron Ian Cameron Ian Cameron
09 HECHINGER ECK PRIMARY SCHOOL 10 Loretto Nursery
Introduction Location Tübingen, Germany Loretto Nursery in Tübingen forms part of the urban Type of School Nursery regeneration of an area formerly occupied by the French Completion Date September 2003 army. An important part of the planning process was cooperation with the future neighbours, particularly for the Client Tübingen Council planned communal spaces. The aim was to integrate the Design Team nursery into the overall development and to provide a building Architect that could change in line with the demographic profile, i.e. it Tübigen Council should be suitable for use as a youth centre or centre for the Structural Engineer elderly at a later date. In order to achieve maximum flexibility Ing Büro Ströbel in its layout, the building was designed with a central sanitary Heating, Ventilation, Drainage core which forms the only internal structural element. Ing Büro Sailer
Background Electrical The nursery is situated in the redeveloped area ‘Stuttgarter Ing Büro Zeeb & Frisch Strasse/ French Quarter’, an area which used to house French Landscape soldiers. Redevelopment started in 1993 and aims to provide Landschaftsarchitekten Stötzer & Neher 2,000 jobs and living space for 6,500 people. The masterplan 2 for the Loretto area included provision for a nursery, which Area 668.2m was to meet the same criteria as other buildings, i.e. to Cost 850,000 € provide high-density urban buildings with internal courtyards, Number of pupils accessed by traffic-calmed ‘play-streets’. 65 children aged between 1 and 6 years. Choice of Site Brownfield, former French garrison Procurement Route Traditional tender Construction Block walls and reinforced concrete floors with demountable, lightweight (mainly timber) internal finishes.
51/52 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Foto-Grafikatelier
10 LORETTO NURSERY Design ethos Materials and services The nursery provides facilities for three playgroups over three The Hochbauamt Stadt Tübingen Council takes particular storeys and is divided into two main areas on each floor: a south- care to avoid materials known and/ or suspected to present orientated, open area for activities around the central core, a health risk in the indoor environment or are harmful to the literally allowing the children to satisfy their need for exercise environment. Whilst generally using conventional building and run around, and on the north side separate, quiet rooms for methods (external block walls and reinforced concrete relaxation and concentration. Each group has a centre point in ceilings/floors), the nursery was built following the council’s the form of a living room/ kitchen, where children are involved guidelines, which forbid the use of timber preservatives in preparing their own lunches. The open circulation areas and (apart from boric salts), solvent-based adhesives, PVC, stairwell were designed as transparent communal spaces and materials containg CFCs, tropical timber and mineral fibrous have recesses for playing, reading groups and fish tanks. Views insulating materials. The building services were also designed through the stairwell to the playgroups connect the internal in line with the council’s requirement to achieve low energy with the external spaces. The concept of transparency and standards and reuse grey water. openness is supported by the light coloured finishes (birch doors and fitted furniture) throughout and the use of extensive glazing to allow daylight to flow from one space to another. - Roof top internal and external play areas Foto-Grafikatelier
53/54 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Landscape Impressions of the Scottish visitors Despite being in an urban setting the nursery has access The nursery is well integrated into the surrounding to a number of external play areas. This has been achieved development and landscape. The lack of physical boundaries, largely by the client convincing their insurers that boundries together with the shared external spaces and cooperation are a matter of rules and regulations rather than fences. This with the neighbours during the planning phase to ensure allowed the use of the adjacent public square for outdoor play ‘seamless’ landscaping, enhances the integration. There as well as the incorporation of the communal courtyard and were, however, concerns that in the present climate in roof terrace, both of which are shared with, and were part- Britain, open boundaries may be problematic. financed by, the neighbours. The creative use of circulation areas as activity spaces and the provision of outdoor play areas on the roof makes the most of the space available and provides interest. The design for flexibility was considered to be advantageous and well conceived. External play area shared with neighbours Foto-Grafikatelier - Foto-Grafikatelier
10 LORETTO NURSERY 11 Pliezhausen Nursery
Introduction and Background Location Pliezhausen-Gniebel, Germany The nursery in Pliezhausen is the result of a competition Type of School Nursery for the design of a state-funded nursery for the Protestant Completion Date 1998 Church on the rural site of a small orchard situated within a residential area. Client Pliezhausen Council for the Protestant Church The scale of architects D’Inka and Scheible’s design is Design Team similar to that of the surrounding village development, which Architect consists of mainly 1.5 to 2.5-storey single houses. Each of D’Inka + Scheible, Freie Architekten BDA, the three nursery groups has its own 2-storey house, linked Structure to the other group-houses by double height communal areas. H. Siewert The houses protrude into the orchard, interlocking with the Heating, Ventilation, Drainage, Electrical landscape. A physical connection is provided via external Fromm/Schmid (E-Office) timber terraces leading into the garden and located between 2 3 the houses forming an extension of the internal shared play Area 593m , 2,861m areas between the groups; large glazed areas provide a visual Cost 1 million connection from the group rooms and play areas. Number of pupils 45 Children under the age of 6 Choice of Site Greenfield, orchard Procurement Route Design Competition Construction Timber frame construction Laminated timber veneer cladding internally Larch cladding externally
55/56 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Chris Morgan
11 PLIEZHAUSEN NURSERY Design ethos Materials and services The architects designed the nursery using timber for the The aim to use non-toxic, recyclable and renewable materials construction as well as for most of the internal finishes with led to a timber construction with mainly timber walls and the aim of achieving a warm, cosy feel. Large glazed, double- ceilings and linoleum floor finishes. The only deviation from height areas link the building with the landscape and provide the norm is the wet areas (kitchen, WCs, paint sinks) where light and airy spaces. Mezzanines in the group houses provide walls and floors are tiled. The use of timber in the construction more intimate spaces for the children to retreat to (even sleep enabled pre-fabrication, which reduced the construction time in), whilst shared spaces between the groups, which double to 6 months, thereby reducing capital costs. up as circulation, encourage interaction between children in Services were designed to utilise renewable resources: water different age groups. is pre-heated using thermal solar systems, photovoltaics The layout of the building is designed to maximise solar gain provide some of the electricty, fresh air is provided draft- and minimise heat-loss with the group rooms and play areas free and pre-heated via the double façade to the south and orientated to the south and ancillary rooms (stores, plant, rainwater is collected and recycled. WCs and wash rooms) providing a buffer to the north. Chris Morgan Chris Morgan
57/58 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Chris Morgan Chris Morgan
Landscape Impressions of the Scottish visitors. The character of the original orchard has been retained as The high level of daylighting, extensive views to the garden far as possible, with some of the fruit trees still in place. The and provision of draft-free fresh air to the group rooms created garden is naturally divided into two areas by a small stream a light and airy feel. This was, however, compromised in the that runs almost parallel to the south façade, with the area hall area, which did not have a double façade and was found between the building and the stream left free of trees and to overheat in summer. play equipment to allow the children to run around. The areas The group liked the simple plan with the doubling up of accessed via small bridges over the stream provide a more circulation space as play areas. Both were thought to be structured play area with slides, swings, climbing frames and principles that could readily be adopted in Scotland. sandpits between the trees. The limited palette of internal surfaces, which were generally finished in the same timber, lacked contrast and visual interest. The high level of hard surfaces was furthermore felt to provide acoustic problems, heightened by the lack of acoustic separation between the group rooms and circulation spaces, and in particular between the mezzanines and other areas. Display of children’s work was made difficult by the ply finishes, which were too hard for tacks and too smooth for tape or ‘bluetack’ to adhere to. It was felt that whilst a number of spaces were tailored to the children (low height windows, sleeping areas, low level wash hand basins and WCs), the double-height circulation spaces were over-scaled for a nursery and did not relate sufficiently to the children. Chris Morgan
11 PLIEZHAUSEN NURSERY 12 Steiner School at Kirchheim Teck
Introduction school entrance on the main access to the estate and a The school at Kirchheim Unter Teck is one of around 200 banking with a public footpath at the back. There are two Waldorf schools in Germany. The schools are independent schools on the site ‘the little school’ (completed in 1998), and and are run by the teaching staff based on the teaching ‘the big school’ (completed in 2002). methods pioneered by Rudolf Steiner (1861 – 1925). The Location Kirchheim Unter Teck, Germany Steiner philosophy allows each pupil to develop at his or her own speed and emphasises an integrated approach Type of School Steiner to learning about oneself and one’s relationship with, and Completion Date responsibility to others and the surrounding environment. Phase 1 (The little school): 1998 Phase 2 (The big school): 2002 A key feature of this philosophy is ‘learning by doing’ and arts and crafts, music, drama and caring for the school garden Client Cooperative comprising school staff, pupils and parents play a central role in this. Architecturally, this is expressed by Design Team the prominence of the school theatre/ performance space, Architect which can be used for formal performances and street Plus + bauplanung Gmbh, Hübner - Forster - Hübner, Freie theatre by the pupils. The Steiner philosophy was also carried Architekten through into the design, with the architects working with Structural Engineer sixth and seventh year pupils on classroom design through Dipl.-Ing.Roland Riebl developmental models and lessons in structural timber Heating, Ventilation, Drainage design. piv , Planungsing. Versorgungstechnik GmbH, Background Electrical TGF, Technische Gebäudeausrüstung, The decision to establish this new school was taken in 1990, Solar Transsolar, Ingenieur-Gesellschaft mbH, following over-subscription to the nearest Steiner school in 2 Nürtingen. The school ran with only one class in a rented Area 3,600 m space in its first year and grew from there. In Germany, state Cost 850,000 € funding for private schools is available, based on a ‘per pupil’ Number of pupils 372 (in the age range 6 - 18) basis, but only after schools have become established by Choice of Site Industrial Estate operating independently for three years. The decision to build Procurement Route a new school building was taken around the end of 1996 and Privately funded with support from the Local Authority a site was found and co-funded by the local authority. Peter Hübner was asked to design the building. Construction Lightweight timber on insulated concrete foundations, The site is a flat wasteground in an industrial area, with the with a zinc roof
59/60 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS - Entrance canopy with view to central play area Plus + bauplanung
12 STEINER SCHOOL AT KIRCHHEIM TECK Design ethos: Big school Little school Two years later, as pupils moved through the school and more The little school is built on a hexagonal plan with an internal pupils enrolled, work began on a larger, second phase of the courtyard at the centre. This arrangement provides classrooms school. This was undertaken through the same participative with daylight on two sides despite an extremely compact process with staff, parent, and pupil involvement. The plan whereby classrooms are entered from the central space. completed new building has thirteen classrooms, specialist The top lit, hexagonal hall serves as gathering space and is arts and crafts spaces and a theatre which has one stage occasionally used for dance and eurhythmy classes. It has a area but can operate as either a traditional proscenium arch span of 8 metres, with internal columns supporting the roof, arrangement or as a less formal street theatre (see figure 1). thus allowing for a lighter structure for the roof than would This is achieved by placing the stage in the centre with flexibility have been the case otherwise. The use of higher percentage to open on both sides. This worked well due to the number of glazing in the upper floor than on the lower load bearing floor classrooms required and these wrap around the central, less below, gives the roof a floating appearance. The building looks formal hall on two levels. The classrooms themselves, in expensive, but savings were made by teachers and parents accordance with Steiner philosophy, are irregular in shape, finishing off the interior and what started as a project that each having its own character. was meant to evolve slowly, was completed in a year due to fundraising on the part of the school board/ committee. The central internal courtyard and large windows on the upper floor introduce high levels of daylight, giving the building a light and airy feel, belying what is actually a fairly deep plan. The arrangement also reduces the need for corridors. This extends to the fact that the building appears smaller and less dense than is actually the case. An inner external courtyard on the west side is shared by both phases of the school. Materials and services The building has concrete foundations supporting a complex but lightweight timber frame designed and sized by computer and a slightly sloping zinc roof supported on a variety of forms of timber column – from round pole to post and beam and tree-like structures. Externally and internally walls are smooth rendered/ plastered mainly in shades of yellow and ochre. Steiner philosophy has theories on use of colour, and so this was coordinated by the users. There is also extensive use of exposed timber in particular in the structure, window frames and the ceiling finish. The building is well daylit and naturally ventilated throughout, although the stage area has passive stacks to assist this if required during high occupancy. Heating requirements are minimised by high insulation levels. The View from formal to informal theatre ‘street’ temperature is allowed to fluctuate and the space acts as a thermal buffer for the adjacent spaces. Here, a degree of thermal mass is provided by a polished concrete floor and an internal pond (with fish) provides passive air conditioning. Peter Blundell-Jones -
61/62 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Landscape As expected, the holistic design approach extends to the surroundings and outside there is a focus on playgrounds, sports facilities, ecological planting and educational gardens. Impressions of the Scottish visitors Internal finishes are natural and benign which combined with use of daylight and natural ventilation create a bright and airy environment. The extensive use of internal timber (which appeared to be untreated) was impressive and the spaces smelt fresh - of timber and not timber treatments. Overall the atmosphere is lively and creative. Central ‘street’/ theatre space Plus + bauplanung - Peter Blundell-Jones
12 STEINER SCHOOL AT KIRCHHEIM TECK 13 Schäfersfeld Grammar School
Introduction Location Lorch, Germany The Schäfersfeld school complex is situated on a hill with Type of School Grammar impressive views over the town of Lorch, the Rems valley Completion Date July 2003 and the neighbouring monastery. The light, brightly coloured school building extension built in 1999 has extensive glazed Client Lorch Council areas, making the most of these views and linking the internal Design Team spaces with the landscape. A generous central circulation Architect space doubles as a performance space. Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner, Stuttgart Background Landscape In 1999, in order to cope with increasing pupil numbers Stephan Eurich, Wendlingen and to accommodate the newly founded grammar school, Area 3, 600 m2 the town considered a second extension to the existing 1973 secondary school, which already housed some of the Cost 6.9 million grammar school classes. The decision was soon made, Number of pupils 350 - 400 (age range 13-18) however, to provide the grammar school with a new, Choice of Site separate, building. This would enable the grammar school Adjacent to two exisiting schools on same parkland site to expand to accommodate all years whilst providing the Procurement Route adjacent secondary school with additional space. Traditional tender Construction Steel frame on concrete founds, with heavyweight concrete block walls internally
63/64 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Entrance Behnisch, Behnisch and Partner -
13 SCHÄFERSFELD GRAMMAR SCHOOL Design ethos Materials and services The new grammar school building was to follow the general As with many of Behnisch’s buildings, there is an emphasis concept of the exisiting complex of school buildings, loosely on economical use of materials in order to achieve a design placed within the landscape. that meets the client’s needs and follows the required design ethos within a tight budget. Colour is used in favour of a In accordance with the two other schools on the site, the variety of materials and/ or expensive finishes. grammar school has a circular plan, with the classrooms elevated and arranged around a central circulation space which The building is heavyweight with exposed mass to provide is also used for theatre and music performances. Covered by free cooling. This allows the spaces to be naturally ventilated a glazed roof, this hall has an open and inviting appearance, (achieved in the main via openable windows operated by affording unobstructed views of the surroundings from the the users) and avoids the need for mechanical ventilation adjacent classrooms in all directions. The top lit space also systems. Heating is via a traditional boiler and radiator brings light into the lower storeys, which contain specialist system. classrooms like biology, chemistry and physics and which are built into the hillside. The arts and music classrooms, library and administration and reception areas are accommodated on the entrance level above. Behnisch, Behnisch and Partner Chris Morgan
65/66 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Landscape Impressions of the Scottish visitors The new building is situated to the north-east of the existing The new school is well integrated into the landscape buildings, harmoniously embedded in the landscaped providing frequent visual links to the outside. The generous environment. The central free space is enclosed by the central circulation space and classrooms are well lit, avoiding three school buildings and assumes the function of a linking the need for excessive artificial lighting, helped by the light element and meeting place. borrowed from the central communal space. The avoidance of access corridors, high levels of daylighting and a strong The buildings are all beautifully but differently incorporated relationship with the landscape are aspects that could be into a gently rolling and hilly landscape. The feeling is of a considered in Scotland. However, as with most of the other fairly natural environment with minimal intervention other schools, while the lack of physical boundaries was applauded than careful planting of trees and bushes, which line the by the visitors, it was thought to be difficult to achieve in pathways between the buildings and around the periphery Britain in the current climate. within the ‘playground’. The fact that the site is well maintained and manicured also gives the impression of a ‘park’ location. It is difficult to discern where the school grounds end and the surrounding housing estate takes over as the recreation space for one seems to flow into the other, with no physical boundaries in evidence. The relationship between the buildings and the landscape is one of the key features of this complex, with each building in its own way nestling into its environment. Behnisch, Behnisch and Partner Behnisch, Behnisch and Partner
13 SCHÄFERSFELD GRAMMAR SCHOOL 14 Pfennigäcker Nursery
Introduction Location Sillenbach, Stuttgart The Pfennigäcker Nursery is situated in Sillenbuch, a residential Type of School Nursery and after school centre area in Stuttgart. Each nursery group or class, has its own 2- Completion Date 1998 storey building, all of which are connected via communal spaces in line with the nursery’s concept of providing the Client Stadt Stuttgart, Hochbauamt children with their own identity in their group/ house, which Design Team also forms part of a larger community. The open foyer and Architect multi-purpose room serve as meeting areas for children of all Joachim Eble Architektur ages and are used for internal parties as well as community Structural engineer events. The 2-storey development provides interest and Schneck & Schaal, variety through the provision of group and play areas as well as quiet rooms for concentrated work. Heating, Ventilation, Drainage Ebök Background Electrical engineer In 1994 the city of Stuttgart inherited the entire fortune of two Gackstatter & Partner Gmbh local brothers, Rudolf and Hermann Schmid, who made their money dealing in books and magazines. It was their wish that Physics the money should be used for projects that would benefit BP Hofman-Müller the community such as homes for the elderly, schools and Landscape design community halls. Money from the trust fund formed with Arge Kroll & Weilacher this inheritance enabled the construction of the Pfennigäcker Colour Nursery which provides day care for children from 1 to 6 years Barbara Eble-Graebener of age and after school care for children up to the age of 14 in Area 1,100 m2 mixed-age groups. Cost 2.9 million € (building only: 1.97 million €) Number of pupils 160 in 7 groups (age range 1-14) Choice of Site Brownfield, built on the site of the original nursery, which was too small and not suited for expansion Procurement Route Traditional tender Construction Solid timber construction system (Brettstapel)
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14 PFENNIGÄCKER NURSERY Timber detail Chris Morgan -
Design ethos The design was developed in close cooperation with the client and follows both their, and the architect’s aim - to achieve a higher than average ecological standard and to conform Chris Morgan to the principles of ‘building biology’ which advocates buildings that contribute to the occupants’, health of spirit, Materials and services mind and body and have a low impact on the environment. Pfennigäcker Nursery is a pilot project in the use of The building meets the German low-energy standard and ‘Brettstapel’, a solid timber construction system that utilises was constructed using only benign and, as far as possible, otherwise sub-standard timber. The system is economical renewable materials. and was used for ceilings, walls and floors, this allowed a high percentage of pre-fabrication reducing construction The colour concept supports the architecture, using blue costs. The timber panels are machined to achieve a finished tones on the towers and roofs that reach to the sky, red timber surface, only requiring to be painted (if desired) and and yellow tones on the ‘earth-bound’ buildings. Colour is significantly reducing the finishing work required. The result used throughout the building as an orientation aid, to provide was a build-cost lower than any other new-build nursery in sensory experience, to carry energy and generally as a symbol the area. of ‘Lebensfreude’. The stronger external colours are taken through to the internal circulation spaces where they become Mechanical services have been avoided as far as possible, progressively lighter as one approaches the play group rooms in favour of natural ventilation and benign building materials where the colours are ‘quiet’ and retreating in order to give that naturally regulate the indoor climate. The building also way to the importance of the children’s personalities. employs solar thermal systems and rainwater recycling.
69/70 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS - Window detail Joachim Eble Architektur Chris Morgan
Landscape Impressions of the Scottish visitors The building is placed close to the site’s north and west The chosen construction system (Brettstapel) with its pre- boundaries to maximise the area of south-facing garden, finished surfaces merely enhanced by subtle, carefully fanning out into a lively and structured play area. Each playgroup chosen, colouring has worn particularly well in the 6 years has its own timber play terrace, which also provides access to that the nursery has been operating and appears to provide the garden areas. Planting and landscaping offer various ‘play- a far superior surface finish to plasterboard. Whilst extensive hills’ and paths, lined with opportunities to play, exercise or timber surfaces were found to cause acoustic problems in just activate the senses. Children can explore the ‘rock-valley’; another school visited, they gave no cause for concern in wade through the ‘grass-sea’; prowl through the ‘jungle’; the Pfennigäcker Nursery and are something that could be crawl through the willow tunnel; sow and reap in the nursery considered in Scotland. garden; play on the ‘building-site’ or partake in ball games or Circulation areas doubling up as meeting and teaching spaces table-tennis in designated areas. The varying requirements of avoided the creation of dull corridors, generally giving a different age groups are taken account of by the division into feeling of liveliness and enhancing the sense of community three areas within the garden: a sunken area to the west for experienced throughout the nursery. small children, a hill to the south for older children and a further area for teenagers in the community. Natural colours, a scale suited to children and the house style, all contributed to an overall sense of ‘home’ and security.
14 PFENNIGÄCKER NURSERY 15 Further Education College in Herne
Introduction Location Herne, Germany In 1991 architects Jourda & Perraudin, from Lyon, won Type of School College for Futher Education a 2-stage architectural competition, organised by the Completion Date 2000 IBA (international building exhibition) Emscher Park and the area of North Rhein-Westphalia, for the design of a Client government further education centre incorporating seminar Entwicklungsgesellschaft Mont Cernis GmbH/Land facilities, meeting rooms, hotel accommodation, restaurant, Nordrhein-Westfalen gymnasium, community library, leisure facilities and outdoor Internationale Bauausstellung Emscher Park GmbH/Stadt sports fields on the site. Herne/Stadtwerke Herne AG The impressive glass envelope has a striking and imposing Design Team presence in an industrial area in decline, that used to be Architect dominated by a sense of depression. Forming the focal Jourda + Perraudin & Hegger Hegger Schleiff HHS Planer + point of an, as yet to be completed, public park, the building Architekten envelope contains a number of public buildings as well as Structural Engineer the education centre grouped around communal spaces with Schlaich, Bergermann & Partner with Ove Arup the intention of increasing social interaction. The internal buildings, built like the structure of the glass envelope, mainly Heating, Ventilation, Drainage HL-Technik, Frankfurt using timber, have been positioned to relate to the internal Thermal Modelling Arup, London landscaping and the external park. Area Background 15,527m in total (college = 5,095m², glass ‘envelope’ = Situated in the centre of the Ruhr area and the area dedicated 4,377m²) to the IBA Emscher Park, the site of the former mine of Mont Cost 42.85million Cernis was to be developed and given a new purpose. The Number of students proposed design by Jourda and Perraudin was to provide Varies throughout the year. Seminars and conferences a weatherproof glass box, which would act as a climate provide training for 10,000 civil servants each year. modifier for a series of pavilions located inside. In 1993 as part of a research project carried out for the EU Directorate Choice of Site Brownfield, site of former mine. General XII, thermodynamic modelling was used to evaluate Construction the benefits of this microclimatic envelope, to fine-tune the Greenhouse: timber design and to verify the viability of the Mont Cernis project Internal buildings: steel frame, timber, stone, concrete which was destined to be one of the flagship projects in the final presentation of the IBA.
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15 FURTHER EDUCATION COLLEGE IN HERNE Design ethos Materials and services The education centre was to be constructed on the site of a 10 000m² of photovoltaic panels on the roof provide more demolished mine which had been the heart of the surrounding than the building’s energy requirement, feeding electricity town and had to be both a beacon project for the regeneration back into the main grid and doubling up as shading and of the region and a generator of the transformation of the protection against glare. Gas from the former mine heads area. The Mont Cernis development aimed to transform is used to produce electricity through a combined heat and the depressed image of the contaminated mine site and its power (CHP) engine, some of which is fed back into the main surroundings, an area of high unemployment resulting from grid. Spin-off heat produced is used for the academy, the the mine closures, by improving quality of life through a surrounding housing and the local hospital. positive transformation of the environment. Rainwater on the roof is collected using a syphonic rainwater In order to enable the local community to spend more time collection system which reduces the downpipe diameter. The ‘outdoors’ the extensive micro-climatic envelope creates a collected rainwater, stored in an underground cistern, is used public semi-outdoor area that has a temperate climate and for the automatic cleaning system for both the transparent is protected from wind and rain. It also allows the internal skin and the photovoltaic roof as well as for watering and buildings to be of simple lightweight construction without maintenance of the plants within the glasshouse. Ventilation weatherproofing. is generally natural with the option to employ mechanical systems via a culvert system under the building as and when required. Building materials were chosen for their environmental credentials and limited to mainly local timber, glass, stone and concrete (used as a thermal mass in the floor). The photovoltaic panels were manufactured locally. Chris Morgan Chris Morgan
73/74 DESIGN&CONSTRUCTION OF SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Landscape Impressions of the Scottish visitors The landscaping is as yet largely unfinished, apart from The scale and construction of the outer building created an the main public space between the two rows of internal impressive (iconic) presence and a delightful, light and airy buildings. Timber terraces provide circulation and areas public space (albeit somewhat chilly on a sunny October for cafes along a pool which adds interest and passive morning). The building materials demonstrated the use of humidification and cooling. The areas between the buildings timber on a massive scale, currently not possible in Scotland and the glass envelope are generally not directly accessible. from local timber sources. The relationships between The intention is that these will be planted to merge visually materials in terms of the use of raw timber, stone, steel with the external landscape. and concrete, displayed the same confidence in terms of craftmanship and knowledge of materials that had been observed elsewhere on the trip. The unfinished landscaping, coupled with the fact that this particular building was visited during the autumn school holidays, gave the impression of emptiness and overscaling which may change once the overall park development is complete. On this visit it was difficult to appreciate how the building would relate to the surrounding housing in the future, in both a physical sense and in terms of the potential for the public to interact with the building which did not appear ‘open’ or ‘welcoming’. Chris Morgan Chris Morgan
15 FURTHER EDUCATION COLLEGE IN HERNE 16 Comprehensive School in Gelsenkirchen
Introduction Location Gelsenkirchen, Bismark, Germany The school at Gelsenkirchen-Bismark forms part of a Type of School Comprehensive competition winning entry for a school with ecological Completion Date housing (100 units) on an adjacent site, designed by Peter Main Building Jan 2000 Hübner and his office Plus + bauplanung Gmbh. A key aspect Class House 1 Sep 1999 Class House 2 Sep 2000 of the design is an emphasis on ecological issues and the Class House 3 Sep 2001 Class House 4 Sep 2002 involvement of community, staff and pupils in the design Class House 5 Sep 2003 Class House 6 Sep 2004 process. The vision was of an evolving education centre, with a variety of building types and new buildings being added as Client and when required in response to local needs, thus adding Evangelische Schule in Westfalen (Protestant school, richness to the final development, rather than working to a Westfalen) fixed masterplan. The result is a school laid out in a village Design Team arrangement, with buildings clustering round a central Architect covered street with a public square at the entrance. Plus + bauplanung Gmbh, Hübner – Forster – Hübner Background Structural engineer Gelsenkirchen-Bismark is a former industrial suburb in the Main building & class houses 1-5 Weischede & Partner Ruhr Valley and the school is located on the site of a former Class house 6 Dr. Ing Adrian Pocanschi coal mine which closed in the 1980s, resulting in mass Heating, Ventilation, Drainage Ingenieurbüro INCO unemployment for the area’s mine workers - a mix of Germans Electrical engineer Wetzstein GmbH and Turkish immigrants. The Protestant Church (Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen) became concerned about the issue of Climate and ventilation strategy high unemployment and the plight of the children of both Transolar Energietechnik Gmbh communities, who struggled to escape the poverty trap, Colour Heiner Nienhaus exacerbated by the closure of the mine. The idea of a multi Landscape design Christof Harms faith ecological school was devised as a cultural centre and Area 16,179 m2; 75.983 m3 catalyst for regeneration by the Church in collaboration with Cost 19,9 million in total; separate class houses 1 to 6 visionary educationalist Fritz Sundermeier. ranging from 665,330 to 846,279 Number of pupils 1100 (6 - 18 year olds) Choice of Site Brownfield, former colliery site Construction Lightweight timber construction on insulated concrete foundations
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16 COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IN GELSENKIRCHEN Plus + Bauplauug
Design ethos The school is being built in phases alongside the existing 1960s building with classes moving across each year as the building complex grows, until it reaches the full school roll of 1100 pupils. The main building incorporates a library, cinema, chemist, Materials and services cinema, theatre, a few classrooms and a large radial workshop Peter Hübner’s architecture is identifiable in terms of form at the end of the ‘street’. This main complex (including the and materials: insulated concrete foundations supporting a adjacent sports facilities) is available to both pupils and the lightweight timber frame, designed and sized by computer wider community. The main classroom blocks are the phased and a flat or slightly sloping green roof. Walls are generally element of the project, being added in the form of individual clad externally in timber with thick insulation and care in the wings which look like terraces of housing, complete with their locating of windows results in a thermally efficient, well day own gardens. The design ideas of the children are encouraged lit building. Heating requirements are kept to a minimum and and incorporated in the gardens and buildings and pupils, most spaces, other than large volumes with specific needs teachers and parents are involved in the fit-out. With reference – such as the theatre and sports hall – are naturally ventilated. to the severe social problems of the area, there is an emphasis Where special treatment is required, this is done passively as on creating a stable environment whereby students occupy far as possible. In this case, the sports hall and internal street the same classroom for six years, led by the same teachers. have a culvert of long underground ducts to pre-warm air in This is felt to provide a sense of continuity which may be winter and pre-cool air in summer, assisted by solar chimneys lacking at home. Classrooms also have quiet zones, located on and roof vents. The street temperature is allowed to fluctuate mezzanines which can be used for a variety of purposes from and the space acts as a thermal buffer for the adjacent spaces. allowing disruptive pupils space and time to “cool down” to Internal finishes are, as far as possible, natural and benign storytelling in a domestic type environment. There is also an which combined with use of daylight and natural ventilation, emphasis on ‘learning by doing’. For the wider community use create a bright and airy environment. of the available facilities is encouraged at all times.
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Impressions of the Scottish visitors Internal ‘street’ The school is integrated into the landscape and seems to sit in a park rather than the external areas being like space around buildings. This, together with the modest scale of
Plus + Bauplauug - the buildings, works well given the large school role (1100 pupils). Landscape Classroom blocks having their own identity through As might be expected, the holistic design approach extends elevational treatment together with dedicated outside to the surroundings. Landscape architect Christof Harms has areas (like gardens) contributed to sense of ownership, incorporated classroom gardens and general landscaping that responsibility and custodianship. This, combined with the teaches pupils about nature by involving them in growing fruit, controlled incremental development of the classroom blocks flowers and vegetables that attract wildlife and insects. While has added interest and variety within a limited palette of classroom gardens are distinct, encouraging children to take materials and is something that could be considered here. responsibility for their own space, the general landscape is free, open-ended and constantly evolving, encouraging the The experience was enhanced by the relationships between children to interact with nature responsibly (e.g. there are the building and the landscape with framed views combining areas incorporating exotic plants and expanses of water which with use of colour to create attractive inside/outside spatial extend to the building edge). Thus children learn about human relationships. Involvement of the children in managing their intervention and interaction with nature and the landscape. classroom gardens and taking responsibility for their own space enhanced this experience.
16 COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IN GELSENKIRCHEN Credits
Author and originator: Gaia Architects (Germany Tour) and Tour participants Norway Gaia Research (Norway Tour) KEN ALLAN PPP Projects Officer, Education, Culture And Sport Service, Highland Council www.gaiagroup.org ROBERT JOHN LESLIE ANDERSON Architect, Dundee City Council Commissioned by: The Scottish Executive ROBIN BAKER Principal Architect, Gaia Architects, Aberfeldy www.scotland.gov.uk CALUM BENNETT Chartered Structural Engineer, Sinclair Knight Merz Edited and published by: Sust. The Lighthouse on Sustainability ALAN BROCK Territorial Architect, DfES www.sust.org IAN CAMERON Architecture and Design Manager, Perth and Kinross Council Publication design: Skratch, Glasgow JANE CLARKE Head of Support Services, Education Division, Midlothian Council www.skratchdesign.co.uk ANDREW FORD Director, Fulcrum Consulting
SANDY HALLIDAY Principal, Gaia Research, Edinburgh
ISBN: 1-905061-07-2 BRIAN HEMMING Resources Manager, Education, Culture And Sport Service, Highland Council
HOWARD LIDDELL Principal Architect, Gaia Architects, Edinburgh
BRIAN MARK Director, Fulcrum Consulting © Copyright 2005, all rights reserved GILLIAN ROSS POND Depute Director of Education/ PPP Project Director, Dundee City Council
Text the authors MIKE PORTER Architecture Manager, Aberdeenshire Council
Images the listed bodies FIONN STEVENSON Reader, School of Architecture, University of Dundee
MALCOLM TAIT Partner, KJ Tait Consulting (Building Services) Engineers The publication the publishers
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or Tour participants Germany by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or an other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in KAREN ANDERSON Architect, Anderson Bell Christie, Glasgow writing from Lori McElroy at The Lighthouse. LESLEY BUNTAIN Architect, Keppie Design
IAN CAMERON Architecture and Design Manager, Perth & Kinross Council
LEANNE CAMPBELL Architectural Technologist, Gaia Architects, Edinburgh
BARBARA CHAPMAN Architect, Gaia Architects, Edinburgh
PAULA VAN DEE Architect, Keppie Design
JENNY FAUSSET Policy Officer, Edinburgh City Council
JOHN KELLY Landscape Architect, Gaia Architects, Edinburgh
DOUG KING Environmental Systems Engineer, Kingshaw
LORI MCELROY Sustainability Development Manager, Sust. The Lighthouse
MICHAEL MCGOWAN Education Design Officer (Architect), Falkirk Council
CHRIS MORGAN Architect, Locate Architects
JOHN ROBSON Sinclair Knight Merz
JAMES ROWE Structural Engineer, King Shaw
BOB SENIOR Engineer, KJ Tait Consulting (Building Services) Engineers
MALCOLM TAIT Partner, KJ Tait Consulting (Building Services) Engineers
KEITH THOMSON School Estate Branch, Schools Division, Scottish Executive
PAUL WOODVILLE Architectural Assistant, Gaia Architects, Edinburgh